Men's Volleyball Welcomes Pratt to Looking to Regain Share of First Place in HVIAC

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – After thrilling five-set match in their earlier meeting this season, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team (8-7, 2-1 HVIAC) welcomes Willoughby Avenue foes Pratt Institute (3-5, 1-2 HVIAC) to the Hill Center looking to move back into a tie for first place atop the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Game Information

Opponent: Pratt Institute (3-5, 1-2 HVIAC)
Date/Time: Thursday, March 26 • 7 p.m.

Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Arena: The Hill Center • Frank P. Carbone Court
Coverage: Live Stats | Video 

Quick Links

St. Joseph's (Bklyn): Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Pratt: Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Series History

St. Joseph's won the only meeting in the all-time series last month as Pratt is a newcomer to the league playing their first varsity season.

Last Meeting

When the Bears and Cannoneers met at Pratt in February, Raul Urshela matched his career- and SJC-record 24 kills and hit .364 to help the Bears outlast Pratt in five, after jumping out to a two-set lead. Urshela fell one block shy of a triple-double setting new SJC records with nine blocks, seven solo blocks and 33.0 points.

The Bear Facts

• With a victory tonight, St. Joseph's would set a new program record for wins in a season, will remain over .500 and regain a share of first place atop the HVIAC with Yeshiva. The Bears will face Yeshiva on Tuesday looking to avenge their five-set loss from last Tuesday.
• The Bears have gone to five sets in all three conference games this season and have gone the distance five times, amassing a 4-1 record.
• Last Thursday, the Bears rallied from a two-set deficit for the second time this season to upend Webb and remain a half game out of first place. Taso Kostikas pounded a career-high 17 kills to lead the Bears while Raul Urshela added 15 kills. Both Kostikas and Urshela finished with double-doubles in addition to Norrin Martinez who dished out 38 assists.
• Urshela was named HVIAC Player of the Week for the third time this season on Tuesday amassing 35 kills, 25 digs and 13 blocks in two five-set marathons against Yeshiva and Webb last week

Behind the Blast

• The Cannoneers look to right the ship after losing three of their last four since falling St. Joseph's in five sets on February 26.
• Pratt enters The Hill Center on a one-week break after a straight-set loss to Yeshiva last Thursday, splitting their season series with the two-time defending league champions.
• The Cannoneers will wrap up their HVIAC slate facing Webb on the road tomorrow and hosting them again next Thursday.
• Two-time HVIAC Player of the Week David Cutler leads the Pratt attack with a league-best 3.77 kills per set average and anchors the defense with a matching 3.77 digs per set. He has reached double figures in kills in every match except one this season and put down 26 kills in the earlier match against the Bears in February.